The N.C. Restaurant and Lodging Association Foundation has set up a relief fund to provide financial assistance to laid-off employees in the hospitality industry, including restaurants.
“The goal of the fund is to provide immediate financial assistance to the tens of thousands of cooks, servers, dishwashers, housekeepers and others who live paycheck-to-paycheck and suddenly find themselves in distress,” according to the foundation.
Needs-based requests will be submitted through an online application at ncrestaurantrelief.com/apply. The foundation plans to appoint committees to review applications, rate them according to a structured rating systems and approve them to receive grant funds of up to $500.
More than 550,000 people – 13 percent of the state’s workforce – work in the hospitality industry, according to the association.